Removing Wallpaper and Prepping For Painting

Wallpaper. It doesn't have to get the best of us -- especially when we had expert advice for Shannon Fox and Tom Trtan on Ozarks Local Live @ 4 Tuesday!

(Springfield, MO) -- It's time to roll up your sleeves to tackle a home project.

Wallpaper. It doesn't have to get the best of us -- especially when we had expert advice for Shannon Fox and Tom Trtan on Ozarks Local Live @ 4 Tuesday!

Sharon Cates from Seminole Decor joined the show.

"All wallpapers are different," she says. "If we can't get it off by just dry stripping, we're going to use some wallpaper solution. The trick to really stripping well is to pull it off really slowly."

"Patience is the key here," says Tom.

"If it's more stubborn, you have solution. You have gels. You have to penetrate the vinyl front. This has little teeth in it and that's so you can get the stripper behind the vinyl paper. You don't know what's going to happen, depending on how old your wallpaper is. If your wall wasn't prepared properly, it will take big chunks out of your sheet rock. If you have your proper prep work done, you should be able to strip it off."

"When we wash our walls, so that we get all the paste residue off, when we wash that it will come off like Kleenex."

Sharon says a pole sander will help you mop and sand your walls.

"It's an abrasive service. It's the pole that you can cover a lot of space in a short time. Some people splatter paint. So 'Goof Off' will help take off the old spattered paint so your new job can look pristine and wonderful. Then we have new paints with primer in it. Or you can prime and paint if you're the old fashioned kind."

"I've tried with the primer in the paint before," says Shannon. "It's thicker. It's a little bit stickier. Is there a trick to putting that on right?"

"I think you have to talk to your paint store people," says Sharon. "They will sell you the proper roller cover. Tell them your problem. If you have a kitchen and you want it more washable, or you have an entryway or you have kids. Everybody has a preference."